How To Display Product Category In Woocommerce

Displaying WooCommerce Product Categories: A Beginner’s Guide

WooCommerce makes selling online easy, but sometimes you need to customize how your products are displayed. A common need is to display product categories in a way that helps customers navigate your store. This article will walk you through several methods to achieve this, even if you’re a Explore this article on How To Install Woocommerce On WordPress complete beginner. Think of it like setting up clear signposts in your online store – helping customers find exactly what they’re looking for!

Why Display Product Categories Effectively?

Imagine walking into a huge department store with no signs. Frustrating, right? The same applies online. Clearly displaying product categories provides several benefits:

• Improved User Experience: Customers can easily browse different product types, leading to a more enjoyable shopping experience. Think of it as organizing your closet by type of clothing.
• Increased Conversions: When customers can quickly find what they need, they’re more likely to make a purchase. A clear path to the product equals more sales.
• Better SEO: Properly structured categories and internal linking can improve your website’s search engine ranking. Google appreciates organized websites!

Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Product Categories Widget

This is the easiest and most common method, perfect for beginners. The WooCommerce plugin comes with a built-in “Product Categories” widget.

1. Access the Widget Area: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Widgets.

2. Find the “Product Categories” Widget: Scroll through the available widgets until you find “Product Categories.”

3. Drag and Drop: Drag the “Product Categories” widget to your desired widget area (e.g., sidebar, footer). Most themes offer various widget areas.

4. Configure the Widget: The widget settings allow you to customize the display:

• Title: Set a title for the widget (e.g., “Shop by Category”).
• Display as dropdown: Choose whether to display categories as a list or a dropdown menu. Dropdowns are useful for stores with many categories.
• Show product counts: Display the number of products within each category. This gives customers an idea of the category’s size.
• Show category hierarchy: Display categories and subcategories in a nested structure. This is crucial for complex product structures.
• Only show top-level categories: If checked, only top-level categories will be displayed, hiding any subcategories until clicked.

5. Save Changes: Click “Save” to apply your settings.

Real-life example: Many online clothing stores use this widget in their sidebar to allow customers to quickly filter products by “Shirts,” “Pants,” “Dresses,” etc.

Method 2: Displaying Categories on Your Shop Page

Sometimes you want to display categories prominently on your main shop page. This can be achieved using code snippets (which we’ll keep simple!) or by using a page builder.

• Using Code (for more advanced users):

You can add a code snippet to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a child theme’s file – highly recommended to avoid losing changes during theme updates!). Be very careful when editing code.

 add_action( 'woocommerce_before_shop_loop', 'display_product_categories_on_shop_page', 20 ); 

function display_product_categories_on_shop_page() {

if ( is_shop() ) {

echo ‘

‘;

$args = array(

‘taxonomy’ => ‘product_cat’,

‘orderby’ => ‘name’,

‘show_count’ => 0, // 1 for yes, 0 for no

‘pad_counts’ => 0,

‘hierarchical’ => 1, // 1 for yes, 0 for no

‘title_li’ => ”,

‘hide_empty’ => 0 // 1 for yes, 0 for no

);

echo ‘

‘;

wp_list_categories( $args );

echo ‘

‘;

echo ‘

‘;

}

}

Explanation:

• `add_action( ‘woocommerce_before_shop_loop’, …)`: This tells WordPress to run our function Explore this article on How To Add A Text Field Attribute To Woocommerce Prodcut before the products are displayed on the shop page.
• `is_shop()`: This checks if the current page is the shop page.
• `wp_list_categories( $args )`: This is the WordPress function that displays the categories based on the arguments Explore this article on How To Customize Messages In Woocommerce we provide. The `$args` array controls how the categories are displayed (order, count, hierarchy, etc.).

Important: After adding this code, you might need to add some CSS styling to make the categories look good. You can add CSS to your theme’s stylesheet (again, a child theme is best!).

• Using a Page Builder (Elementor, Beaver Builder, etc.):

Many page builders offer WooCommerce-specific elements that allow you to display product categories in a visually appealing way. For example, Elementor has a “Product Categories” element that you can drag and drop onto your shop page and customize. This is a much easier option for those unfamiliar with code.

Real-life example: An online electronics store might display categories like “Laptops,” “Smartphones,” “Tablets,” and “Accessories” at the top of their shop page for easy access.

Method 3: Using Shortcodes

WooCommerce provides shortcodes that you can use to embed product categories in pages and posts.

The main shortcode is `[product_categories]`. You can customize its behavior with attributes:

• `number`: The number of categories to display.
• `columns`: The number of columns to display the categories in.
• `orderby`: How to order the categories (e.g., “name,” “count”).
• `order`: Ascending (“ASC”) or descending (“DESC”).
• `hide_empty`: Hide categories with no products (1 for yes, 0 for no).
• `parent`: Display only the children of a specific category ID.

Example:

`[product_categories number=”4″ columns=”4″ orderby=”name” order=”ASC” hide_empty=”1″]`

This shortcode will display the first 4 product categories in 4 columns, ordered alphabetically, and will hide empty categories.

Real-life example: A blog post about “Gift Ideas for Gardeners” might include a shortcode to display relevant product categories like “Gardening Tools,” “Seeds,” and “Planters.”

Choosing the Right Method

The best method for displaying product categories depends on your needs and technical skill level:

• Beginners: Start with the WooCommerce Product Categories widget. It’s the easiest way to get started.
• Intermediate Users: Explore the page builder options for more visual control.
• Advanced Users: Use code snippets and shortcodes for maximum flexibility.

Key Takeaway: Experiment with different methods to find the one that best suits your store’s design and user experience. Always back up your website before making significant changes, especially when editing code. And remember, a well-organized online store leads to happier customers and more sales!